Automatic safety circuit closer and cut-out



(No Model.)

W. L. PRATT. AUTOMATIC SAFETY CIRCUIT CLOSER AND CUT-OUT. No. 600,743.

Patented Mar. 15, 1898.

WITNESSES:

ATTOR N EYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVALTER L. PRATT, OF ADAMS, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY CIRCUIT CLOSER AND CUT-OUT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,743, dated March 15, 1898.

Application filed May 13, 1896. Serial No: 591,402. (No model.)

To all whom it may (JOILCBII'L:

Be it known that I, WALTER L. PRATT, of Adams, in the county of Jeflerson, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Safety Circuit Closers and Out-Outs, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to automatic safety circuit closers or cut-outs.

My object is to improve upon the construction for automatically cutting out or shunting from the electric circuit an arc, loop, or system of lights, not only when from any cause a break occurs or the light or system of lights cease to work and allow the current to continue on to the remainder of the lights in the ordinary way, as described in the ap plication filed by myself and Frederick Ripley under date of January 30, 1896, Serial No. 576,165, but as well as when from any cause the current becomes too strongas, for instance, the wire coming in contact with a trolley-wire-to prevent the lights from being burned out or otherwise damaged as the re sult of an excess of current; and to that end my invention consists in the several new and novel features of construction and operation hereinafter described, and which are specifically set forth in the claims hereunto annexed.

It is constructed as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which is shown a plan view of a mechanism embodying my invention, and in which I show the circuit as it appears when in operation,

the dotted lines indicating the position of the part when the loop is cut out, except that the needle or pointer occupies the perpendicular position shown in the dotted lines.

The needle or pointer shown in the drawin g in full lines at the left is the normal position which it assumes when the current is entirely off-that is, against the fuse-wire; but as soon as the current gets sufliciently strong it immediately draws the armature over to the vertical position shown in the solid lines.

1 and 2 are ordinary binding-posts holding the circuit-wires 3 and 14. The wire 3 is connected, through the binding-post 2, to the wire 4 and in turn through the binding-post a to the upper end of the brass plate a. The current traverses this plate from the bindingpost a to the binding-post 5. Pivoted upon this plate a at the point Z) is a permanentlymagnetized armature Z), having fixed thereto a needle or pointer 0. Since a permanent magnet has the tendency to place itself at right angles with a current passing adjacent thereto, it follows that when a current passes through the plate the plate acts as a magnet and moves the armature carrying the needle or pointer to the various positions shown in dotted linesthat is to say, the plate a corresponds to an electromagnet, and the permanently-magnetized armature Z) and the pointer 0 correspond to the armature of an electromagnet. The current passes from the plate a through the wire ,5, which is connected at one end to the binding-post 5, secured to the plate, and this wire 5 has its other end secured to the conducting-bracket 7, being held normally in circuit with the bracket 8, which is mounted upon the insulated arm 9, the current then passing through the bracket 8, around the loop, and again connecting the conducting-bracket 10, thence down through the plate 11 to the plate 12, thence to the bar 13, and finally out through the wire 14.

The brackets S and 10, which convey the current to the loop, being mounted upon the arm 9, are pivoted at 15, but are insulated from each other. The arm 9, holding the said brackets, is held in the position shown in the drawing by a continuous fuse-wire 16, connecting at either end the bracket 8 with the wire 17, which is held by a binding-post 18, the upper side of the bracket 8 being insulated by the part 19, the opposite end of said fuse-wire being connected to the plate 20.

My invention is operated substantially as follows: The current passes from the wire 4: to the plate a and the plate acts as a mag net and the armature b is moved by the current in the plate a, and this movement of the armature causes the needle or pointer to move from its normal position (shown in solid lines) into the positions shown by the dotted lines. The normal position of this needle or pointer when no current is passing is shown in solid lines, and its outer end makes connection with the fuse-wire 16 at the left, as hen the current is passing through sh own.

ICO

the plate, making it act as a magnet, and the armature is deflected, the needle moves in unison with the armature, so as to assume the vertical position shown in dotted lines, or so as to make connection with the right-hand end of the fuse, according to the strength of the current, When the needle is in the position shown in solid lines, the current passes through the fuse-wire, through the wire 17, down to the right-hand end of the plate 11, and thence through the various connections out through the wire 14:. This lasts until the current is sufficiently strong to draw the armature away and may be set at any number of amperes. The current then passes out through the wire 5 into the plate 7, thence to the bracket 8, and so on to the loop, back through the bracket 10, plate 11, and so on out through the wire 14. If for any reason the wire upon the loop leading from the bracket 8 becomes broken and opens the circuit at that point, which I simply take for an example, the needle 0 is immediately drawn over or deflected to the left and forms a circuit with the left end of the fuse-wire 16, the current passes through the needle 0 to the fuse-wire, and thence out through the wire 17 down to the plate 11 and out through the wire 14: until the current becomes strong enough to draw the needle away from the fuse wire. Then this is done, an arc is formed between the needle and fuse-wire, thereby fusing the wire. If, on the other hand, the current is too strong, it draws the needle over and brings it in engagement with the right-hand end of the fuse-wire 16 and circuit is formed with it, and fusing it allows the arm 9, carrying the bracket 8, to drop down and take the position shown in the dotted lines, thus allowing the current to pass through bracket 8, cross the plate a, which is in contact with the bracket 10, and pass on out through the plate 11 and wire 14:-

At the bottom of the figure I show a handpiece d, connected to the plate 12, by which the loop may be cut out by the hand when desired.

I/Vhat I claim is- 1. In an automatic cutout, comprising hinged arms, carrying loop connections, said arms being held normally in circuit by a fuse wire, a plate through which the current passes, and which acts as a magnet, a pivoted armature mounted upon said plate, and a needle or pointer also pivoted upon the plate cooperating with the fuse-wire, substantially as shown.

2. In an automatic cut-out, a movable arm, loop connections connected thereto, a fusewire, a device acting as a magnet, a pivoted armature, and a needle which is caused to move by the said armature; the fuse-wire having its ends bent so that the needle or pointer can make connection with either end, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic cut-out, a plate which acts as a magnet by the passage of the current through it, an armature, which is permanently magnetized, loosely pivoted thereon, and a pointer loosely secured to the armature, and a fuse-wire having its ends bent so that the end of the pointer is adapted to make contact with either end, combined with an arm pivoted at one end, and which is divided into two portions H which are insulated from each other, loop connections, and a wire 17 connected with the fuse-wire, the parts being combined and arranged to operate, substantially as shown.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 4th day of May, 1896.

\VALTER L. PRAT' In presence of H. H. WAITE, R. F. STEELE. 

